A Guide for Garland, Texas Families: Holding Fraternities, Sororities, and Universities Accountable for Hazing

If you are a parent in Garland, Texas, and your worst fear has become a reality—your child has been hurt, humiliated, or hospitalized in the name of “tradition” or “brotherhood”—you are not alone. Right now, just a few hours south of your community in Dallas County, our firm is fighting one of the most serious hazing lawsuits in Texas. We represent Leonel Bermudez, a University of Houston student who suffered acute kidney failure and was hospitalized for four days after alleged hazing by the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter. This $10 million lawsuit against UH, the fraternity’s national headquarters, and 13 individual members is a stark reminder that catastrophic hazing is not a relic of the past; it’s happening in Texas today.

This guide is written specifically for you—the parents, families, and students in Garland, Richardson, Sachse, and across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. We will explain what modern hazing truly looks like, detail the Texas laws designed to protect your children, and show you the legal pathways to accountability and justice. If your child attends the University of Texas at Dallas, Southern Methodist University, Texas A&M, or any campus in our state, this information is critical.

Immediate Help for a Hazing Emergency

If your child is in danger RIGHT NOW:

• Call 911 for any medical emergency.
• Then call us at 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911). We are the Legal Emergency Lawyers™ for a reason.

In the First 48 Hours:

1. Secure Medical Care: Get immediate medical attention, even if injuries seem minor. Conditions like rhabdomyolysis (severe muscle breakdown) can be fatal.
2. Preserve Digital Evidence: DO NOT DELETE ANYTHING. Screenshot all group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp, iMessage), text messages, and social media posts. Take photos of any visible injuries.
3. Document Everything: Write down a timeline of events with names, dates, locations, and what happened while memories are fresh.
4. Do NOT:
   • Confront the fraternity, sorority, or university directly.
   • Sign any documents from the university or an insurance company.
   • Allow your child to delete messages or “clean up” their story.
   • Post details on public social media.

Contact an experienced hazing attorney immediately. Evidence disappears quickly—deleted group chats, coached witnesses, destroyed paddles. Universities often move to control the narrative. We can help you preserve evidence and protect your child’s rights from the start. Call us at 1-888-ATTY-911 for a free, confidential consultation.

What Hazing Really Looks Like in 2025 (Beyond the Stereotypes)

Hazing is not just “boys being boys” or harmless pranks. Under Texas law, it is any intentional, knowing, or reckless act that endangers the mental or physical health of a student for the purpose of initiation into or affiliation with an organization. Today’s hazing often blends old-school brutality with digital control and psychological coercion.

The Garland parent’s nightmare might include:

• Forced Alcohol Consumption: “Big/Little” nights, “family tree” drinking games, or lineups where pledges are forced to drink dangerous amounts of liquor until they vomit or pass out.
• Extreme Physical Abuse: “Smokings” with hundreds of push-ups or squats, paddling, bear crawls, forced exposure to extreme cold, or being sprayed with a hose. In the UH Pi Kappa Phi case, Leonel Bermudez was allegedly forced through over 100 push-ups and 500 squats, leading to rhabdomyolysis.
• Psychological Torment & Humiliation: Sleep deprivation, forced carrying of humiliating “pledge fanny packs” (containing items like condoms and sex toys), public degradation, and social isolation.
• Sexualized Hazing: Simulated sexual acts, forced nudity, or demeaning rituals designed to shame and break down new members.
• Digital Hazing & Control: 24/7 monitoring via group chats, mandatory location sharing, forced posting of embarrassing content on social media, and cyber-harassment for non-compliance.

This abuse happens in fraternities, sororities, athletic teams, spirit groups like the Texas Cowboys, Corps of Cadets programs, marching bands, and other campus organizations. The common thread is an imbalance of power, a culture of secrecy, and the exploitation of a young person’s desire to belong.

Texas Hazing Law: Your Child’s Rights and Legal Recourse

Texas has specific laws to combat hazing, primarily found in the Texas Education Code, Chapter 37, Subchapter F. For Garland families, understanding this framework is the first step toward accountability.

Key Provisions of Texas Hazing Law:

• §37.151 – Broad Definition: Hazing includes any reckless or intentional act that endangers physical or mental health for the purpose of initiation or affiliation, whether on or off campus.
• §37.152 – Criminal Penalties: Hazing is a Class B Misdemeanor. It becomes a Class A Misdemeanor if it causes bodily injury and a State Jail Felony if it causes serious bodily injury or death. Individuals can also be charged for failing to report hazing.
• §37.155 – Consent is NOT a Defense: Even if your child “agreed” to participate, it is not a legal defense against hazing charges. The law recognizes the coercive power of peer pressure and tradition.
• §37.153 – Organizational Liability: The fraternity, sorority, or club itself can be prosecuted and fined up to $10,000 per violation.

Criminal vs. Civil Cases:

• Criminal Cases: Brought by the state (DA’s office) to punish offenders with jail time, fines, or probation. A criminal conviction is not required to file a civil lawsuit.
• Civil Lawsuits: Brought by the victim and their family to secure compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, lost future earnings, and to hold all responsible parties accountable. This is where true financial recovery and institutional change are often achieved.

Who Can Be Held Liable in a Civil Hazing Case?

1. The Individual Perpetrators: The members who planned, executed, or supervised the hazing.
2. The Local Chapter: As a legal entity, it can be sued for fostering a dangerous culture.
3. The National Fraternity/Sorority Headquarters: They often have deep pockets, insurance policies, and can be liable for negligent supervision if they knew or should have known about a pattern of hazing.
4. The University: Schools like UH, UT, or SMU can be liable for negligent supervision, premises liability, or violating duties under Title IX or the Clery Act if they were deliberately indifferent to known risks.
5. Third Parties: Property owners, housing corporations, or alcohol providers.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Greek Ecosystem: A Data-Driven Look

Garland sits within the massive Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, home to one of the largest concentrations of Greek-letter organizations in Texas. For parents, understanding this landscape is crucial. Our firm maintains a Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine built from public records, including IRS filings and organizational data. This allows us to identify every entity that may share liability.

A Snapshot of Greek Organizations in the DFW Metro:
Public records show a dense network of fraternities, sororities, alumni chapters, and housing corporations registered in our area. For example, just a few of the many entities include:

• Beta Upsilon Chi Fraternity, EIN 742911848, in Fort Worth, TX 76244 (Cause IQ metro listing)
• Texas Kappa Sigma Educational Foundation Inc, EIN 741380362, in Fort Worth, TX 76147 (IRS B83 filing)
• Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity – Lambda Lambda Chapter, EIN 521278573, in Dallas, TX 75241 (IRS B83 filing)
• Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc – Sigma Gamma Chapter, EIN 392352450, in Houston, TX 77254 (IRS B83 filing, showing national reach)
• Delta Delta Delta (Tri Delta) national sorority headquarters is based in the Dallas area (Cause IQ metro listing)

This is just a fractional view. The DFW metro contains over 500 Greek-related organizations. When hazing occurs, we use this data to trace connections from the local chapter to its alumni support networks, housing corporations, and national headquarters—entities that often hold the insurance policies needed for meaningful recovery.

Where Garland Families Send Their Kids: Campus Connections

Garland students attend universities across Texas and the nation. Prominent local and regional choices include:

In the DFW Area:

• The University of Texas at Dallas (Richardson, Dallas County)
• Southern Methodist University (Dallas, Dallas County)
• University of North Texas (Denton, Denton County)
• Texas Woman’s University (Denton, Denton County)

Major Texas Hubs (Common Destinations):

• University of Texas at Austin (Travis County)
• Texas A&M University (Brazos County)
• University of Houston (Harris County) – site of the active Bermudez lawsuit we are handling.
• Baylor University (McLennan County)
• Texas Tech University (Lubbock County)

Each of these campuses has an active, sometimes problematic, Greek life culture. The same national fraternities named in catastrophic hazing deaths nationwide—Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE), Phi Delta Theta, Pi Kappa Phi—have chapters on these Texas campuses.

Learning from Tragedy: National Cases That Shape Texas Litigation

The hazing that harms Texas students is not an isolated phenomenon. It follows predictable, deadly patterns established in national cases. Understanding these patterns is key to proving liability.

The Alcohol Poisoning Pattern:

• Stone Foltz, Bowling Green State University (Pi Kappa Alpha, 2021): A pledge died after being forced to drink a bottle of alcohol. His family secured a $10 million settlement. This pattern of “Big/Little” drinking is exactly what we see in Texas cases.
• Max Gruver, LSU (Phi Delta Theta, 2017): Died during a “Bible study” drinking game. His death led to Louisiana’ “Max Gruver Act,” strengthening felony hazing laws.

The Physical Brutality Pattern:

• Timothy Piazza, Penn State (Beta Theta Pi, 2017): Died from traumatic brain injuries after a bid acceptance night with forced drinking, falls captured on house cameras, and a delayed 911 call. Dozens faced criminal charges.
• Chun “Michael” Deng, Baruch College (Pi Delta Psi, 2013): Died from head trauma during a blindfolded “glass ceiling” ritual at a retreat. The national fraternity was criminally convicted.

The Severe Injury Pattern:

• Danny Santulli, University of Missouri (Phi Gamma Delta, 2021): Suffered permanent, catastrophic brain damage from forced drinking. His family settled with 22 defendants.
• Texas A&M SAE Incident (2021): Pledges allegedly suffered severe chemical burns requiring skin grafts after substances, including industrial cleaner, were poured on them.

What This Means for Garland Families: When a fraternity at UT Dallas or SMU engages in forced drinking, they are repeating a script with a known, deadly outcome. This “foreseeability” is a powerful legal weapon, proving the national organization and university failed to prevent a known risk.

Holding Texas Universities Accountable: A Campus-by-Campus Perspective

University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) & Area Schools:
While UT Dallas has a growing Greek community, oversight and public transparency are critical. Parents should inquire about the university’s specific anti-hazing policies, reporting mechanisms, and history of disciplining organizations. Hazing incidents at commuter-heavy campuses can be harder to detect but are just as dangerous.

Southern Methodist University (SMU):
SMU’s prominent Greek life has faced scandals. For instance, the Kappa Alpha Order chapter was suspended after reports of paddling, forced drinking, and sleep deprivation. As a private university, SMU’s internal processes can be opaque. A civil lawsuit is often necessary to uncover the full truth through discovery.

The University of Texas at Austin:
UT Austin maintains a public Hazing Violations page, a resource for parents. It has listed violations for groups like Pi Kappa Alpha (for forced milk consumption and calisthenics) and spirit organizations. This public record can be used as evidence to show a university’s prior knowledge of a group’s dangerous culture.

Texas A&M University:
Hazing at A&M extends beyond Greek life into the Corps of Cadets. In one lawsuit, a cadet alleged being bound in a “roasted pig” position with an apple in his mouth. The university has also faced lawsuits over fraternity hazing causing severe chemical burns. The culture of “tradition” is potent and sometimes deadly.

University of Houston (UH):
We are intimately familiar with UH through our active representation of Leonel Bermudez. The allegations in that case—systematic abuse leading to kidney failure—demonstrate a profound failure of oversight by both the Pi Kappa Phi national organization and the university, which owned the chapter house. UH labeled the conduct “deeply disturbing,” but only after a student nearly died.

Building a Powerful Hazing Case: Evidence, Strategy, and Damages

When families in Garland come to us, we deploy a meticulous, evidence-based strategy honed from over 25 years of complex litigation, including taking on billion-dollar corporations in cases like the BP Texas City explosion.

1. Evidence Collection is Everything:

• Digital Forensics: Recovering deleted GroupMe, WhatsApp, and text messages. Analyzing social media posts and geolocation data.
• Chapter & National Records: Subpoenaing internal fraternity manuals, risk management reports, and prior incident histories to prove a pattern.
• University Files: Obtaining prior conduct complaints, Clery Act reports, and internal emails through discovery.
• Medical Documentation: Corroborating injuries with ER records, lab tests (like elevated creatine kinase in rhabdomyolysis), and psychological evaluations for PTSD.

2. Our Strategic Advantages for Texas Families:

• Insurance Insider Knowledge: Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña, spent years as an insurance defense lawyer for large companies. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurers try to deny claims, lowball settlements, and drag out cases. We know their playbook.
• Institutional Litigation Experience: Managing Partner Ralph Manginello has fought catastrophic injury cases against the largest defendants. We are not intimidated by national fraternities or university legal teams. We are admitted to federal court and ready for complex litigation.
• Data-Driven Investigation: Our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine means we don’t start from scratch. We can quickly map the network of liable entities behind any Greek organization in Texas.

3. Recoverable Damages:
A successful lawsuit can recover compensation for:

• All medical expenses (past and future), including long-term care for permanent injuries.
• Lost wages and future earning capacity if the injury impacts your child’s career.
• Physical pain and suffering.
• Severe emotional distress, psychological trauma, and humiliation.
• In cases of death: Funeral costs and loss of companionship for the family (wrongful death damages).

Practical Guide for Garland Parents and Students

For Parents – Warning Signs:

• Unexplained injuries, bruises, or burns.
• Extreme fatigue, sleep deprivation, or drastic weight changes.
• Secrecy about organizational activities, sudden anxiety around phone notifications.
• Personality changes: withdrawal, depression, or uncharacteristic anger.
• Requests for large sums of money with vague explanations.

For Students – If You Are Being Hazed:

• Your safety comes first. If you are in danger, call 911.
• Preserve Evidence: Screenshot everything. Take photos. Do not delete messages.
• Know that “I agreed to it” is not a legal defense for your abusers under Texas law.
• Report to university authorities (Dean of Students, campus police) and consider contacting an attorney to understand your full rights.

Critical Mistakes That Can Harm Your Case:

1. Deleting evidence to “protect” friends or the organization.
2. Confronting the fraternity/sorority directly, giving them a head start to destroy evidence and lawyer up.
3. Signing a university’s “internal resolution” agreement without having an attorney review it—you may be signing away your right to sue.
4. Posting details on social media, which can be used by defense attorneys to attack credibility.
5. Waiting too long. Texas has a statute of limitations, and evidence fades fast.

Why Choose The Manginello Law Firm / Attorney911?

We are not a high-volume personal injury mill. We are a Texas complex litigation firm that takes on a small number of serious cases—like hazing deaths and catastrophic injuries—and fights relentlessly for our clients. For Garland families, here is what sets us apart:

• We Are Fighting This Fight Right Now: We are lead counsel in the Leonel Bermudez v. UH & Pi Kappa Phi lawsuit. This isn’t theoretical knowledge; it’s active, front-line experience.
• Deep Texas Roots & Understanding: We know Texas courts, Texas universities, and Texas juries. We serve families statewide from offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont.
• Spanish-Language Services Available: Mr. Peña speaks fluent Spanish. Se habla Español.
• Contingency Fee Basis: You pay nothing unless we win your case. The consultation is always free.

Contact Us for a Free, Confidential Consultation

If hazing has impacted your family in Garland or anywhere in Texas, you do not have to navigate this crisis alone. The institutions involved will have teams of lawyers. You deserve expert advocates in your corner.

We offer a compassionate, confidential evaluation of your case. We will listen to your story, explain your legal options in clear terms, and help you make the best decision for your family’s future and your child’s recovery.

Call the Legal Emergency Lawyers™ today: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911).
You can also visit our website at https://attorney911.com or email Ralph Manginello directly at ralph@atty911.com.

Plain Text Links to Key Resources

News Coverage of the UH Pi Kappa Phi Case:

• Click2Houston report: https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2025/11/21/only-on-2-lawsuit-alleges-severe-hazing-at-university-of-houstons-pi-kappa-phi-chapter-fraternity/
• ABC13 coverage: https://abc13.com/post/waterboarding-forced-eating-physical-punishment-lawsuit-alleges-abuse-faced-injured-pledge-uhs-pi-kappa-phi-fraternity/18186418/

Attorney911 Educational Videos:

• Using your phone to document evidence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLbpzrmogTs
• Texas statutes of limitations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRHwg8tV02c
• Client mistakes that can ruin a case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3IYsoxOSxY
• How contingency fees work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upcI_j6F7Nc

Main Website & Contact:

• Attorney911: https://attorney911.com

Legal Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is unique, and outcomes depend on specific facts and law. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney directly.